BALANGIR: The inauguration of the Lower Suktel Dam by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has ignited a political controversy with the BJD and Congress leaders engaging in a blame game.Tension escalated when Balangir MLA Narasingh Mishra addressed the gathering, exposing alleged loopholes in the government’s Lower Suktel project.
Mishra criticised the CM for failing to fulfill the 35 percent irrigation promise made in 2001. Responding to Mishra’s allegations, BJD ex-MP Kalikesh N Singhdeo questioned why did he attend the meeting if he opposed the development work.
Defending the dam’s inauguration, he assured that underground pipe water would commence soon, reaching farm lands within one and a half years.Amid the political turbulence, residents in the area expressed disappointment at the government’s oversight of not inviting Gopalji Panigrahi, a key activist for the Lower Suktel project, to the launch.